The glitz. The glamour. The gloves. Get ready for Hollywood’s biggest night , pandemic-style.
The ongoing COVID-19 health crisis will present some unique challenges …
The glitz. The glamour. The gloves. Get ready for Hollywood’s biggest night, pandemic-style. The ongoing COVID-19 health crisis will present some unique challenges to the 93rd Academy Awards. But the show will go on, with limited attendance and a host of scrupulous safety measures. While there were initially concerns that 2020’s drastically reduced cinematic output might result in a lackluster competition, the race for the Oscar has been as fierce as ever. So who will go home with the gold? Here now are my annual predictions, designed to help you win your Oscar pool in any thoroughly sanitized and socially distanced setting. “Judas and the Black Messiah” “Mank” “Minari” “Nomadland” “Promising Young Woman” “Sound of Metal” “The Trial of the Chicago 7” The conventional wisdom is that “Nomadland” has the Oscar all sewn up. The timely contemporary drama has won many of the major bellwethers, including the Golden Globe, Critics Choice, Producers Guild of America and British Film Academy (BAFTA) Awards. However, those successes don’t necessarily lead to Oscar glory. Recent films like “La La Land” and “1917” similarly collected those kudos, only to go down in defeat at the Academy Awards. The reason? A preferential ballot is used to determine the Best Picture, and the system works against movies that are even slightly divisive. Though “Nomadland” does have plenty of admirers, it also draws a fair number of detractors. They typically criticize the glacial pace, as well as the lack of a conventional plot. Meanwhile, “The Trial of the Chicago 7” is generally appreciated by most Oscar voters. The script and direction have largely been praised, and the rich dramatic performances from its distinguished cast of actors have received exceptional acclaim. (Remember that actors make up the largest bloc of voters.) In the end, widespread support means that the Academy could rule in favor of “Trial,” delivering it a verdict of Best Picture of the year. “Mank,” David Fincher “Minari,” Lee Isaac Chung “Nomadland,” Chloé Zhao “Promising Young Woman,” Emerald Fennell Eleven years ago, Kathryn Bigelow (“The Hurt Locker”) became the first woman in history to receive the Academy Award for Best Director. She’ll soon be joined by Zhao. Her work on “Nomadland” is considered the most significant artistic achievement of the year. She’s pulled off a clean sweep of all of the major directing prizes thus far – most notably the Directors Guild of America Award. Even if “Nomadland” loses Best Picture, this is one Oscar that it has in the can. Riz Ahmed, “Sound of Metal” Chadwick Boseman, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” Anthony Hopkins, “The Father” Gary Oldman, “Mank” Steven Yeun, “Minari” The “Black Panther” actor tragically lost his battle to cancer last year. “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” was his final film, and it’s evident that he gave it his all in his farewell performance. His electrifying portrayal of a lively blues musician has already earned him Golden Globe, Critics Choice and Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards for Best Actor. It’s hard to imagine the Academy not following suit. Boseman’s only threat is the esteemed Hopkins, who delivers a career-best turn as an elderly man struggling with dementia in “The Father.
